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The Michiana Paralegal Association was established in 1989 to
promote the professional and business
interests of persons engaging in the paralegal profession. Today, we
continue that mission with bimonthly dinner meetings, support, encouragement
and recognition of the outstanding accomplishments of our members.

Welcome

Welcome
to the online home of Michiana Paralegal Association! Michiana is a region
in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan, including the counties of
Elkhart, LaPorte, Marshall, St. Joseph and Starke in Indiana, and Berrien
and Cass in Michigan. Whether you are a member, prospective member or simply
an information seeker, I want your experience here to be enriching. Please
take the time to discover what Michiana Paralegal Association has to offer.

September 27-30, 2012
Anchorage, Alaska

The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) is
offered by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA®)
to test the competency level of experienced paralegals.

Offering experienced paralegals an option to:

validate your experience and
job skills;

establish credentials; and

increase your value to your
organization and clients.

Exam for Experienced Paralegals

PACE is offered to paralegals who have a minimum of
two years' experience and meet specific educational requirements. PACE is
designed for professional paralegals who want to pioneer the expansion of
paralegal roles for the future of the profession, not to restrict entry into
the profession.

Requirements for a paralegal to take either tier of PACE include work
experience and education. The paralegal cannot have been convicted of a
felony nor be under suspension, termination, or revocation of a certificate,
registration, or license by any entity. PACE has generated a great deal of
interest since the resolution to develop it was passed. Based on this
interest, and the number of paralegals who may apply to take the exam (a
number reported by the U.S. Department of Labor to exceed 113,000), a need
exists for global grandparenting.

Requirements are:

An associates degree in paralegal studies obtained from an
institutionally accredited school, and/or ABA approved paralegal
education program; and six (6) years substantive paralegal experience;
OR

A bachelor's degree in any course of study obtained from an
institutionally accredited school and three (3) years of substantive
paralegal experience; OR

A bachelor's degree and completion of a paralegal program with an
institutionally accredited school, said paralegal program may be
embodied in a bachelor's degree; and two (2) years substantive paralegal
experience; OR

Four (4) years substantive paralegal experience on or before
December 31, 2000.

Two-tier Exam

Each tier addresses different areas. Tier I
addresses general legal issues and ethics. As the need arises, a section for
state-specific laws may also be developed. Tier II addresses specialty
sections and is under development.

Voluntary

Paralegals will have the option to sit for the exam
at more than 200 Sylvan Technology Centers. As activities and proposals for
regulation of the profession increase, all paralegals will be encouraged to
take the exam.

Credential Maintenance

To maintain the PACE RP®
credential, paralegals are required to obtain 12 hours of continuing legal
education, including at least one hour in ethics, every two years.

For more information or, if you are interest in joining the
local study group, please contact Wanda Miedema.

Suggestions, concerns, comments? Please feel free to send
them to the board by clicking on the box above.

Definition

Paralegal. A Paralegal is a person,
qualified through education, training or work experience to perform substantive
legal work that requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not
exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This person may be retained or employed by
a lawyer, law office, governmental agency or other entity or may be authorized
by administrative, statutory or court authority to perform this work.

Disclaimer

This website is for the Michiana Paralegal Association, a non-profit organization formed under the laws of the State of Indiana. The web site and the materials provided herein have been prepared by MPA for informational purposes only. Although every effort is made to ensure that this website contains the most current and up-to-date information, some errors may occur. If you have any questions or comments regarding information posted on this site, please contact the webmaster at webmaster@michianaparalegals.org Reproduction, distribution, or retransmission of any materials contained within this site is strictly prohibited unless prior written permission has been granted.

MPA is not liable for any damages you sustain as a result of the use of this website, any links to other websites contained herein and/or any information or materials which you download from this website or a linked website, whether such damages are direct, indirect, special, consequential, or punitive in nature, including any lost data or lost profits and/or any damage to your computer hardware, software, or network.